Hungary - The Tokaj Festival Valley is part of a HUF 2 billion regeneration project designed to put the area of Tokaj-Hegyalja in Hungary firmly on the tourism and culture map. The complete transformation of the valley includes an open air theatre and stage, as well as a purpose built facility for cultural events, sports events and concerts aiming to boost visitors to the region and bring increased business to hotels, restaurants and local businesses. The long awaited grand opening ceremony took place recently, with Roland digital consoles, digital snakes and audio recorders playing an integral part in the live sound production.
The Festival Valley specified a reliable, flexible audio solution which could adapt to a variety of applications and configurations ranging from spoken word to theatre to rock concerts. Although part of a permanent installation, the equipment also needed
UK - Orbital Sound, the theatre, live sound and entertainment technology specialist, has announced the appointment of Andy Simmons to the post of director of sales. Joining Orbital in November, Andy brings over 25 years of international sales and marketing experience, gained within the pro-audio sector in association with many key brands, including Crest Audio, XTA Electronics, Peavey and KV2.
Andy will be fulfilling a strategic role at Orbital, working to develop the company's long-term sales plan, while making full use of the product-specialist expertise available within the organisation.
MD Chris Headlam comments, "At Orbital we have real passion for what we do and are always looking to add extra elements that enhance our service. With Andy's arrival we are focusing on how we innovate within the whole 'sales' field, on the basis that we are already a well-established a
Mexico - Coinciding with his stint as a coach on the fourth series of The Voice Mexico, Ricky Martin has been playing sell-out shows in Mexico, Chile and Argentina this autumn. DiGiCo helped to ensure that mix engineers 'Privet' Hedge and Steve May had the tools they needed to make the shows a success.
Most associated with global 1999 hit Livin' La Vida Loca, the Puerto Rican singer retains huge popularity in Spanish-speaking countries. Front of House engineer Privet and monitor man Steve used their usual DiGiCo SD7s on the Mexico shows, but the 'fly in' shows in Chile and Argentina meant they had to source consoles locally.
Privet and Steve are committed to using DiGiCo mixers, so the company's Fernando Delgado helped them to source SD8s in Chile and SD10s in Argentina.
"There is much talk in the business about which manufacturer's desks have the best sou
UK / USA - PLASA's month-long elections to determine positions on its European and North American Regional Boards, together with its central Governing Body, concluded at midnight on Wednesday 19 November. Companies and individuals from PLASA's worldwide membership voted in the elections, which were conducted via a secure online poll.
There were four positions available on the European Regional Board. Ed Pagett of Panalux was elected for a second term as Chairman, Peter James of Shure Distribution as representative to PLASA's Distributor members and Malcolm Burlow of Highlite was voted as the Dealer/Retailer representative. Robert Kronman joins the Board as the new Individual representative.
Four positions were also up for election on the North American Regional Board with Todd Spencer of PSAV elected as Vice-Chairman, Tracey Cosgrove of Rosco Laboratories as Secretary, Orestes
UK - The British Entertainment Industry Radio Group (BEIRG) has expressed its disappointment and concern regarding Ofcom's decision to remove Programme Making and Special Events (PMSE) users from the 700MHz band of radio spectrum. Ofcom's decision is a real danger to some of the UK's most important cultural, social and economic events. Instead, this spectrum will be allocated to Mobile Network Operators.
The regulator's decision will mean that radio microphones and other wireless audio devices key to the UK's thriving creative industries, including West End and regional theatres, could be forced to operate in less than two thirds of the spectrum to which they currently have access. Every night over 1000 wireless radio microphones are used in London's West End alone, largely operating within the spectrum that is to be cleared.
Fears remain that, if appropriate mitigating steps
Hungary - The Békéscsaba Jókai Theatre, 130 years old and located in the Budapest suburbs has spent over two years developing a sound reinforcement system that meets the expectation - both in sight and sound - of a modern audience whilst preserving the traditional features of the building. Perhaps not the first place you would expect to find such a ground breaking project - so much so the theatre invited representatives from Roland Europe and Japan to visit the theatre to see - and hear - for themselves.
The idea to address the issue came from the statistical evidence that when people sit in front of a movie screen they absorb 40% of the different sound effects whilst in a theatre this figure drops below 10%.The Békéscsaba Jókai Theatre has developed a system that crosses over between cinema and theatre sound in the form of a 8.1 channel surround so
UK - Delta Sound has invested in another 43 Halo-C compact line array enclosures from UK manufacturer, EM Acoustics. This brings Delta's total inventory to over 130 units including the system installed into the Royal Albert Hall in 2013.
According to Delta's operations director, Jonathan Bell, the decision to invest in Halo-C was straightforward. "The system has already proved itself to us many times over, not least of which by winning the tender with SBD to re-equip the Royal Albert Hall. Going through that process enabled us to evaluate the system extremely thoroughly. In short, it's an extraordinary product. The clarity and detail is exceptional, but what is truly outstanding in our opinion is the level of accuracy and ability to control dispersion over significant distances.
"When the time came to increasing our inventory of rental stock, we therefore decided on
France - France's National Theatre, the Hexagon, has been a challenging space for sound reinforcement since it was built in 1976. The perfectly shaped hexagonal room, with a seating capacity of 560, hosts 35 shows each season. It also regularly offers arts community training programmes, conferences and debates.
Olivier Delpeuch, sound engineer and head of the audio department at the Hexagon, recently underwent a search for a new sound reinforcement system for the theatre. After a thorough review, he opted for a distributed system made up of Adamson Point Series loudspeakers.
The solution was jointly developed by Adamson Systems' French distributor DV2 and sound company Music Plus. Antoine Maurel, project manager at Music Plus headed up the installation of the system.
The system is designed for flexibility, allowing it to adjust to the needs of the performances. Sound reinfor
Australia - The University of Sydney in Australia recently unveiled the X-Lab, a 40x20m space that houses up to eight classes using advanced live lecture streaming. Using a multipoint distribution strategy based on a Dante network from Audinate, the IP-based architecture efficiently streams lecture audio to ensure as many as 240 students receive a targeted, immersive, engaging and uninterrupted educational experience.
Similar instructional laboratories previously relied on streaming live lectures to radio headsets, which created usability and safety concerns. The University of Sydney instead chose to use Dante to stream audio to hyper-directional loudspeakers positioned above each student. The Dante network delivers ultra-low latency streams over a standard network infrastructure, maintaining signal integrity and quality across the architecture to guarantee exceptional speech in
Australia - ARX Systems has announced the Remote Switcher externally controlled stereo input signal switcher, for use in EWIS (Emergency Warning and Intercommunications System) emergency announcements, Console Switching, and remote control of signal sources in Broadcast applications.
"We developed the Remote Switcher in response to requests from integrators and installers for a unit allowing remote and external switching selection between two line level audio sources. EWIS is becoming mandatory for most new and upgraded commercial buildings and public spaces, and our Remote Switcher is a cost effective solution for noiseless and instantaneous switching between normal audio program and EWIS emergency announcements," says ARX MD, Colin Park.
"Other applications include remote switching between FOH or Monitor Consoles, Main and DJ consoles when one main loudspeaker
Germany - d&b audiotechnik has strengthened its top management by bringing on board Sabina Berloffa as Director of Marketing. Since August this year she has been responsible for global marketing and product management, with the aim of further expanding brand awareness, developing new markets and accelerating the growth of the company. Sabina Berloffa is part of the international management team around CEO Amnon Harman.
"Sabina Berloffa has great experience in B2B marketing, brand leadership and product management. She will take a key role in the company's strategic growth over the coming years. I'm delighted to have Sabina on board", says Amnon Harman.
Sabina Berloffa adds, "I am excited to join d&b. For the last decades, the company has stood for quality in professional audio solutions. d&b has a fantastic customer base, especially in the touring and installati
Canada - As the quality of the experience becomes an increasing priority in retail, Highstreet Fraser Valley combines an outstanding environment with the latest technology to provide a destination with a fresh new approach.
Located in Abbotsford, BC, Canada, Highstreet is a 600,000sq.ft open air shopping centre. This three-level centre features main street style shopping and dining with one and two storey buildings on the upper podium level, and a Walmart Supercentre with 1,400 covered parking stalls on the lower level. The development's compact design delivers a higher order of density than traditional regional retail projects, and is striving to become a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified project, which makes it one of the first in Canada for large scale retail projects.
The Highstreet development is by Shape Properties Corporation, one of the mos
USA - An Outline GTO C-12-based line source sound system, recently installed in the Summit Music Hall in Denver by DSI Event Group (formerly Dowlen Sound), rocks the house for such high-power musical groups as Anberlin, Andrew McMahon and GWAR, to name a few.
The 1,100-seat venue, purchased by Soda Jerk Presents in 2010, needed the sonic adrenaline provided by the Outline GTO C-12 system to bring it to the next level. While this system could easily handle a larger outdoor audience of several thousand attendees, the GTO C-12 fits the bill for this venue, providing the clarity and power necessary for the performances without exceeding the flying-rig weight limits of the building's ceiling.
"We had been shopping for a line array since we first acquired the building," says Michael Barsch, owner of Soda Jerk Presents. "We looked at a lot of different brands, focusing
Spain - Originally designed for classical music, L'Auditori de Barcelona has in recent years turned to a more inclusive programme, welcoming even international pop stars to its stage. It's a familiar response to the vox pops clarion call, yet as home to the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, this is no lightly considered indulgence.
L'Auditori is, by Catalans, considered a national institution. Not without a clear sense of purpose did L'Auditori become the first concert venue in Spain to join the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) in 2007, a matter of some pride for a venue only open since 1999.
With such a focussed mind-set the Technical Directorate identified a key weakness for the expanded programme. "We already had a point source solution, and some delays due to the long size of the auditorium," said head of sound Toni Vila. "Y
Bali - Master Audio has supplied a complete suite of sound systems for the first ever hotel from the prestigious fashiontv brand. Love F Hotel by fashiontv is strategically located among the chic boutiques and glitzy bars of Legian on the island of Bali.
Supply, design and installation of the sound systems, in the hotel foyer, restaurant, café, Jacuzzi Bar, Private Cabana and F Love Bar, was carried out by Iken Thio of Master Audio's Jakarta based Indonesian distributor, Ken's Audio.
The hotel was designed by the internationally renowned firm of Marques and Jordy, who realised the luxury and glamour of the fashiontv brand in the hotel's uncompromising comfort and style. The six discrete audio installations demanded extensive and various system design solutions - ranging from outdoor line arrays to discrete diffuse background audio - incorporating product from across the
UK - Based on a true story as well as the 2010 film of the same name, Made in Dagenham is a new musical comedy at London's Adelphi Theatre about the equal pay strike by the women who made car seats at the London suburb's Ford factory in 1968. The show stars Gemma Arterton as Rita O'Grady.
The action unfolds against a lively soundtrack of 1960s-inspired song and dance numbers and brightly coloured sets. To automate the latter the show's production manager, Matt Towell selected Stage Technologies to supply a 39-axis overhead, stage level and sub-stage automation control system; and sister company Delstar Engineering to provide fabricated steelwork, tracks and engineering.
Stage Technologies' BigTow Classic, BT2-200 and BT2-390 winches as well as motors and hydraulics automate the 39 axes. Seven AU:tour 6 cabinets are stationed in the Adelphi's basement to power the system, and i
UK - Hawthorn, the independent supplier of technical production services, has named DPA Microphones as its primary mic brand. Established in 1987, Hawthorn employs over 120 staff from offices around the UK and handles over 1,000 events every year, including gala dinners, product launches, conferences and parties.
The company's product portfolio has seen a major investment over the last two years including lighting, sound, AV, rigging, staging and drapes. Among this considerable inventory is a wide range of DPA mics, including d:fine Headset, d:screet 4060 lavalier and d:vote 4099 Instrument Microphones. Audio quality is very important to Hawthorn, which bases its reputation on delivering exceptionally high standards
"It all started a few years ago when we were looking for headset microphones to replace the brand we had previously been using," says Jon Curnew, Hawthor
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USA - Joshua Rush has joined Audinate as vice president of marketing. Rush brings over 20 years of experience in business, consumer and channel marketing in a variety of industries, including computer hardware, networking and telecommunications.
As part of the continuing expansion of Audinate, Rush will lead the global marketing function for Audinate with a specific emphasis on driving awareness for Dante enabled products with the channel and end users. Through similar roles at HP and Vesta Corporation, Rush has extensive experience developing marketing initiatives for a variety of different customer segments and channel partners, including the custom installation channel.
"Josh is a great addition to our team," said Lee Ellison, CEO of Audinate. "His combination of B2B marketing experience, channel knowledge and marketing leadership will help to further establi
USA - A recent renovation has restored St. Paul's Union Depot to its original 1920s splendour while a new sound system with Community Entasys loudspeakers has brought intelligible voice announcements and clear sound reinforcement to the depot's transit services and its many public events.
Originally completed in 1926, Union Depot served as many as 300 trains and 20,000 passengers each day. But, as passenger rail travel declined, the last train left the depot in 1971 and the historic structure became home to restaurants, offices, and condominiums. Now, after its renovation, the depot again serves both light and long-distance rail (Amtrak), local and intercity bus travel and automotive, bicycle and pedestrian traffic. In addition, the depot hosts concerts and art shows as well as banquets and other events.
As the building architect and engineer of record, HGA Architects and Engi
South Africa - The winner of Idols SA season 10 was announced during a spectacular live finale held at Carnival City Casino and Entertainment Centre on Sunday 23 November. Vincent Bones was voted as the winner of Idols X - the longest running reality show in South Africa.
According to sources from DStv, all previous Idols SA voting records were broken. The total number of votes reached an incredible 24,364,245 compared to 7,253,971 votes that were received last year.
The finale witnessed a variety of guest appearances by popular South African artists as well as surprise performances by the judges.
An assortment of wired and wireless Shure microphones were used exclusively during the show for sound reproduction. Microphones ranging from the legendary SM58 Vocal Microphone, to the SM87 and Classic Shure 55SH Unidyne have been used during the season and contribute
UK - Orbital Sound is showing a wide cross-section from its portfolio of international pro audio brands on Stand No: E01 at PLASA Focus in Glasgow, from 2-3 December.
On show for the first time at a trade show in the UK is the d&b audiotechnik Y-Series range, offering improved overall sonic performance, increased SPL headroom across the 6-model line-up. Also making its debut is the new Nemesis UMT-2Di multi-button and MIDI-USB Converter, the latest addition to the growing range of theatre-specific audio playback and control solutions. Flare Audio's latest loudspeaker designs are on show in Scotland for the first time - including the X2A Compact Vertical Point Source system, the X0A Micro Delay speaker - complemented by the PLASA Award-winning SB Series Flat Panel Bass speakers.
The emphasis for PLASA Focus is on providing expert guidance on product selection, with Orbital Soun
UK - Held at the SSE Hydro, the 2014 MTV EMAs was, as always, one of the biggest nights in the music calendar. For the 12th consecutive year, Sennheiser UK supported Britannia Row Productions in its provision of audio equipment for the event.
The two-hour spectacular was hosted by Nicki Minaj and saw performances from artists including Ed Sheeran, Ariana Grande and Charli XCX. Ozzy Ozbourne hailed as 'global icon', three awards went to boy band One Direction, and amongst others there were wins for Ariana Grande for Best Song and Best Female, Just Bieber for Best Male and 5 Seconds of Summer for Best New and Best Push Act.
All presenters, including Nicki Minaj, used Sennheiser's flagship 9000 series handheld microphones, whilst all performer and presenter IEMs, with the exception of one act, were Sennheiser 2000 Series. Additionally, Ed Sheeran used an SKM 2000 with 9235 capsul
The Netherlands - Bierfabriek Delft needed a versatile, unified sound system that could create the right atmosphere in its three zones. The Bierfabriek experience combines laid-back drinking and dining, plus DJs until late at the weekend. So the speaker system needed to provide high-quality, comfortable sound at all volumes. Plus the venue's reflective surfaces made creating a natural sound a challenge.
Pioneer Pro Audio worked with Bierfabriek's installation partner Discovery Sound & Vision to specify a sound system and EQ settings that overcame these challenges and delivered a warm, clean sound throughout the venue.
"The sound is amazing. Unlike other places, we can cater for people who want to talk and relax, and people who want to dance and party. With the Pioneer system, we can deliver the highest-quality sound in both environments - so everyone's happy," says A